Charles Panter had a factory which repaired demolished parts of airplanes in the Second World War. After the war, he switched over to the production of caravans.

In a few years, Panter was the biggest caravan builder of Great-Britain. He earned so much, that he wanted to start building small cars. He found a partner in Laurie Bond, who already built small cars for a long time. The make Berkeley was born.

In 1956, three prototypes, who were shown at the London exposition the same year, were developed in Biggleswade. The synthetic bodies were divided in three parts: the floor, the front and the back. The parts were glued together. The engines were delivered by a company that built motorcycles. The front wheels were driven by chains. Berkeley has assembled two- and three cylinder engines till 1959, but the engines were the weakest part of the cars.

In 1959, the factory built a three-wheeler with one back wheel à la Morgan, and with little more success. When Panter switched over to the Ford Anglia engine in 1960, it was already too late. There were only sold two cars with such an engine.

Then, the factory closed its doors.